Nfor Released on Bail

The presiding judge in the bail hearings for SCNC representatives arrested at the press conference in Bamenda on 20 January 2007 signed the official order to grant bail this morning. Ten of the eleven representatives arrested were released from Bamenda central prison, where they were met with eager family, friends and fellow SCNC activists.

SCNC representatives were granted bail on 13 March 2007, however as the presiding judge failed to sign the official order to issue bail before adjourning court, SCNC detainees remained in jail for yet another day of detention.

Hearings on preliminary investigation into the arrests have been scheduled for 17 April 2007.

Reports indicate Tantoh Simon Nshukwi, who has been assigned a different magistrate, has not yet been granted bail, as his assigned magistrate failed to appear at bail hearings on 13 March 2007. This marked the second occasion which Mr. Nshukwi’s hearing has been delayed.

UNPO considers the detention of Nfor to be politically motivated and has voiced strong concern at the lack of due process in the case of his arrest alongside other SCNC members. A series of appeals and communications have been issued to authorities in Yaoundé, to European and international bodies and to UN officials, highlighting the case and calling for urgent action to address human rights violations in Southern Cameroons.

“Whilst UNPO welcomes the release, we are concerned that possible charges, if brought forward, could be used to detain Mr. Nfor again on politically motivated grounds,” says UNPO General Secretary Mr. Marino Busdachin. “UNPO therefore strongly urges the government of La Republique du Cameroun to act in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to incorporate the provisions of this international instrument in national law and furthermore engage in efforts to reform the judicial system to enable it to safeguard its implementation in practice.”